For the second time in as many weeks, the Buckeye State will play host to major Bands of America action with the Central Ohio Regional Championship, set to take place Saturday at Fortress Obetz in Obetz, Ohio. 

It’s an entirely different set of bands this week, though, as compared to the group of 15 that was topped by Homestead (IN) at the Northwest Ohio Regional last weekend in Toledo. Featuring 12 bands from in-state, four from neighboring Pennsylvania, one from Indiana and one all the way from Missouri, Saturday’s event is set to kick off at 10:30 a.m. ET with Walter E. Stebbins (OH).

The 18-deep Prelims competition is scheduled to wrap up with one of the event’s likely favorites, Kiski Area (PA) at 4:30 p.m. before Finals begin at 7:30 p.m. 

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Contenders from the East

The small contingent of Pennsylvania bands features plenty of potential headliners, including Kiski Area, which is set to go on as the last band in Prelims. Kiski Area went home as the winner at least year’s Canton Regional Championship, an early October event that featured several of the bands that will compete this weekend in Obetz.

It was a close win for Kiski Area at that Canton show last year, leading the way with a score of 82.450,  topping Norwin from its own state by just under half a point.  

But Norwin won’t be making the trip from Pennsylvania, Kiski Area will be joined by Moon Area, which earned eighth place in Canton last fall. 

From that same event, six of the bands will compete in Obetz this Saturday, including Worthington Kilbourne (OH)—which missed the cut for Finals in Canton by just one-tenth of a point—as well as sixth-place Dublin Coffman (OH), 12th-place North East (PA), and 17th-place finisher Firestone (OH).

What We'll Be Watching

A handful of the Ohio bands that will be in attendance this weekend made decent waves in the Bands of America world last season, at a small midwest sampling of regional and super regional events. A couple of threads to follow, in that regard:

• At last year’s Indianapolis Super Regional — one of deepest and most marquee events of the BOA season prior to Grand Nationals — Lakota East (OH) was one of two Ohio bands to earn finalist positions, ultimately finishing in 13th. The other finalist from the Buckeye State, Centerville, won’t be competing this weekend. 
• Competing at the same event, Pickerington North (OH) earned 24th place, finishing just over a point ahead of Greenfield Central (IN), which took 27th and will also be competing in Obetz this weekend.